The Philly Sports Fan Wins!

I spent all of last night partying with the neighbors, celebrating the first major sports championship in Philadelphia in 25 years. Of course those of us who are real sports fans here count the Villanova National Championship in '85 against Georgetown a major sports championship, but whatever.

This 3 1/2 inning game was very wierd indeed. A lot of friends went out to bars or parties, but all of my neighbors decided to watch in solitaire, in our own homes, with the wives and children.

I spent the whole game IM'ing Carson via blackberry. My man was killing me over the sixers who moved their game up to 6:30 so that everyone could watch the Phils. He was in a pub that wasn't showing the World Series. After all he is in Canada, so it was Basketball and Hockey for the patrons that night.

I was live blogging for Carson, and I can only gather he was giving the verbal updates to the other people at the bar. I think they had a pool league or something and he was filling in. Now, I only mention this because it helped ME through the game.

After all of the circumstances leading up to the resumption of this game, no one really knew what to expect. Manuel had announced that he was going with Madson, and Madden didn't elude to who he was going to put up there. With only three and a half innings to play, where the Phils had 12 outs, and the Rays had 9 outs, there was all sorts of questions as to what would happen, and how it would be handled.

Now, if you haven't seen the game, watch the highlights on sportscenter. This 3 1/2 inning game really had everything. A lead, a tie, a homer, unbelievable plays from both sides, and some pretty sick pitching.

Before I talk about the celebration I want to highlight some of the plays and a couple of the players. I know Hamels won the MVP, and he was lights out for us in the post season, and the regular season for that matter. But Utley has to be given some consideration.

His play exemplifies someone who just goes out and gets it done. A taleted, intelligent player who kows nothing of the word quit. He made two plays last night that were crucial. The first was the play at the plate to get Bartlett out. Bartlett was on second and Iwamura hit one up the middle. Utley was playing towards first but dug it out and scooped up the ball towards second base. He faked the throw to first and fired home to Ruiz who had Bartlett by at least two steps.

This would have been a lead changing run for the Rays, and who knows what would have happened after that. The momentum would have changed drastically in the Rays favor, and after that, well, there is no telling how their hitters would have responded. By "stealing" that run from them like that, I am of the belief that it totally took the wind out of their sails. Which was pretty full at that point having tied the game with a Baldelli homerun and a single by Bartlett.

Iwamura also made a pretty super sick play in the next inning when he too scooped up an up the middle shot and got the force out on second with a man on. It was a hard fought game, and it seemed as if we just had the juice to get it done.

I also want to point out Burrell. He was 0-13 for the World Series. Fox put up a stat that had stated that 31 players have gone hitless with more than 10 at bats during the World series as he had come up to bat. At this point the score was tied 3-3. I had stated on Hoy's blog that Burrell would be a hero tonight. He got ahold of a pitch that screamed to left center. One of his tradmark monster super high shots that usually get out by 50-100ft. But his was hit right in the "gulph stream" and seemed to want to never come down. When it did come down it was about 6 inches short of getting over the fence. The wind had knocked it down, and it landed about 6 inches shy of the top of the wall. It bounced off the wall and gave him a double. No wind and he is that Hero that I predicted he would be. Burrell has lost a lot in the last three years, but he has always been one of the guys that fans have appreciated. He has the longest tenure on the team being brought up in May of 2000, and the fans have had a love hate relationship with him. Anyway, they pinch run him, and bruntlett comes in to score two batters later for the winning run. When it mattered the most, Burrell got it done.

With two outs, and a man on I was texting Carson the pitch count. 0-1. 0-2. Then the third and final pitch. My wife and 10 year old daughter were on the couch with me. I was on the floor, on hands and knees watching this. The wife was giving strict instructions not to freak out as she didn't want me waking up the other 3 kids.

Lidge threw that slider of his to the left hander and he swung without contact. I jumped up and ran outside, hands in the air screaming, looking across and down the street. I saw a neighbor coming out of every front door doing the same thing like we were all thoroughbreads coming out of the gates at the preakness. We all ran screaming, hootin' and hollarin' to the middle of the street. All jumping on each other like they did on the mound at Citizens Bank Park. Behind my house some others were setting off fireworks. Most were punching each other, some crying, some laughing, one guy going, WE WON!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WON!!

I started gettting phone calls, and text messages from both brothers, my father, and friends. I went in and hugged the daughter (who said less than enthusiastically, "yeah yeah, good night dad"). The wife said to be quiet, congratulations, and have a good time. Just be quiet please (RAKE!).

I grabbed some champagne, and went back outside and we all just started popping corks, caps, and cans, and basking in what we have all waited for, for a very long time.

We settled into the deck and just started reminiscing about that game, the series, the post season, the whole season, the players, the Mets (we all hate the mets), and how much fun it will be in 4 months when pitchers and catchers report once again. We talked about who wouldn't be back, who would get all jammed up in arbitration, who would or could we go an acquire.

Within 30 minutes of the celebrating, the discussion turned into, "what about next year"? See this is what its all about here. What about next year. Not that we have done it often, but we already want to know what the club is going to do for next year. Our eternal fight for a championship will never stop. It will never end. Even when we FINALLY get one, we want more. We want it all the time. We expect it. So the celebration will end officially on Friday at 5pm.

That is the scheduled end to the Parade in the city. And that is when we will start looking ahead to next year. We love this club, these players, the game. Philly fans are all about the game. The Marines have a code. It's Unit, Corps, God, Country. Here in Philadelphia Sports land, it's City, Club, Players, Division.

We will celebrate this championship. We will celebrate harder than most do. Because we feel we are part of it. We helped bring it here. We supported the team, and sure as shit helped them win a few that they normally would not have without us. We pushed individual players to play better. They have admitted as much. We scorn, demand, and compliment, and worship players for their play on the field, and not their star status. Everyone is treated equally.

I congratulate the team, the city, the players, and the fans for this accomplishment, which was never a certainty, at any time.

For now we focus on the Eagles, the Sixers, and the Flyers. This year so far we have two championships. The Soul ad the Phillies. As fans, our expectations of the others are the same. To do their best, as a team, as an organization, and as individuals. If that happens, good things should happen.

Until then, we will celebrate with the Phils, and congratulate them for their hard work, talent, and commitment to themselves, the organization, and the city.

SHIP SHIP SHIP!!!

2008 Philadelphia Phillies - World Champions!

Game 5... continued

Carson has been texting/ emailing me all day about how bad the sixers are going to get owned tonight. I laugh. hard.

Then he says Obama is the man! Nothing like getting support from someone who doesn't have a say in the matter. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!!!!

Anywho.... I might try to live blog the rest of the game tonight, if for any other reason than to highlight the emotion that goes into the phillies phan psyche.

You won't get too many, "base hit up the middle, and utley is now 2-2, as the Phils have a 1 out base runner and 3 run lead in the 8th", as much as you'll get... "SHIP IT MOTHER FUCKER! UTLEY IS GOD, OWN THIS BITCH RIGHT NOW! I'M OUT! HEADING DOWN TO THE STADIUM TO CELEBRATE WITH THE REST OF THE FANS!" type stuff.

Of course you COULD get, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???? LIDGE GOES 100% FOR THE SEASON ON SAVES AND ONE FRIGGIN SLIDER GOES WRONG AND WE NOW GOTTA TRAVEL TO GERIATRIC PARADISE TO END THIS TRAIN WRECK! FUCK BUD SELIG AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON!"

But I doubt it.

How do I know the wife is going to want to "talk" tonight about some upcoming schedules, or the boy is going to blow up and interupt the 3 1/2 innings that will determine if the Phils become the World Champions, or have to travel to Tampa?

Probably better if I'm distracted a little. I get all jammed up watching these things. Go Phils!

Bud Selig wins again! Phils annd Rays are all wet!

Last nights World Series game is just another example of the lack of leadership in America today. Yes, I'm going the whole country based on a friggin' baseball game.

You want to talk about examples of group think? Well, look no further. First, let's look at the decision that had to be made to even play the game:

Here are some of the factors involved:

Fans: How long do you have to tell them NOT to come to the stadium? Can you do that? What about reshceduling, or the back lash?

Employees: Food, Beverages, Merchandise, Parking... All of these were probably in place by 2pm in the afternoon if not earlier. How about getting them in place again if they do cancel and reschedule?

Teams: Rays probably had their hotel rooms checked out. Had their travel plans, etc... If postpone, where do we put them? How long before we even get them a place and out of this stadium? (they actually were moved to Wilmington, DE)

TV: Pregame shows, network schedules, ESPN, MLB.com, Revenue, revenue, revenue.

There is a ton of stuff that gets jammed up here if you decided to call the game LATE in the decision process. Which would have been the case, because it didn't start raining until after 4pm or so. So how do you make that call? What happens if you make the call and at 10pm there isn't a drop of rain on the field?

So what happens? He doesn't make the best decision based on the outcome, and integrity of the actual game. He makes the best decsion based on the surrounding factors such as ease of rescheduling, room availability, and most of all TV revenues. To prove his decision he lies about a weatherman telling him information that was already untrue when he got it. Or, in the very least believed something out of convenience that could NOT have been true. Christ, the Philly networks were showing updates all day about the likelyhood of this game NOT beig played.

Obviously he was pressured by someone representing every issue I state above. No doubt the networks had the largest input. But he failed in his duty to lead, and make the best decision that would protect the integrity of the game. Which again, would be to not eve play the game in the first place.

So, they play the game. And what happens? Lake Champlain in the infield. Rollins dropping pop flies. Infield fly rules being altered because of the weather. And a game that now needs to resume AFTER it is tied, in the BOTTOM of an inning.

SO, the Phils get screwed. How? The Rays don't have to field in a down poor. The infield fly rule will be in effect when they play. The point is it becomes an unequal playing field. Who knows if its unfair. Who cares. But the integrity of the game is lost now because one side gets to play in certain weather, and the other does not.

Now, if the game isn't tied, and they need to make a decision about calling the game, based on the rule, it is a complete game after 5 innings, and the Phils would be awarded the win. Of course this wouldn't happen, it's the goddamn world series. But Selig would have had to make the "whats best for the game" exemption. If he waits til the game is tied, even AFTER 5 innings of play, there is a rule, which he read directly out of the rule book, like a little bitch, all happy and giddy about not having to be the one to think independantly and actually LEAD, or do what his job demands of him. No, now he has a rule book to read form. See! This isn't me! This is the rule book! Pussy

Now, for the first time in WS history, we have a suspended game due to weather. What a great legacy!

This is the leader of the MLB and with his actions last night, he failed Baseball, the fans, AND the networks. His incompetence has once again been highlighted on a national , and this time global level, and I can't see how it goes unpunished.

_________________________________

The rain does not seem to be letting up at all, and the weather people say that by 8 pm it should start to trail off. We'll see what they do tonight. In my area it is supposed to turn to flurries, and I'm only 30 minutes north and west of the city. It will be cold.

Hopefully, the Phils get it in good and we can celebrate here at home! Nothing would be better for Selig. The fans here won't remember anything other than the wins, and I doubt any Tampa fans have an issue with how it went last night.

In the least, it will be fun to watch. A two and a half inning game! Nothing better than T-Ball to decide on a 6th game of the world series or not.

One More!

On Their MotherFuckin' NECKS!!!!

THAT, is one of my favorite lines ever. Which I had never heard until last september from a friend who was speaking directly about the Mets and their series with the Phils.

My bro owns a screen printing shop that does T-Shirts. He worked one up with a picture of Steve Irwin that said "2008 World Series" A Phillies logo, a manta ray, and "Let's do it for Steve". he sold 200 of them out of the shop. I'll get a picture of one tonight and post it tomorrow.

I have so many stories to tell from the weekend, including: a bout with head lice, a charity heads up poker game, another bathroom that took a shit, a political discussion with a stranger who happened to be an Obama supporter, the cable going out in the 4th inning of the saturday night World Series, a new TV, and a small kitchen fire because Howard homered in the 5th last night.

But until they win, it's all Phils!

Twenty-Twooohoooo!!!

I settled in last night to watch the Phils after plans of junk poker and libations WHILE watching the game were rescheduled until tonight.

The wife was out and daughter #1 was at my mothers learning to sew. She has taken a liking to fashion design. Project Runway has been a conduit to this new "career" choice and she is all over the "making her own clothes stuff".

I got the other three off to bed, started a fire, and settled into the couch to watch the Phils game all alone. There was a knock at the door, and for a moment, I thought one of the neighbors took the trek over to watch the game with me, knowing that the wife was gone for the night.

I opened the door and it was my mom and kid. "Why are you knocking?". I asked. "I'm teaching your daughter some manners", responded mom rather curtly. "Yeah Dad, what's wrong with that? You don't even know what manners are!". Mom laughs. "You tell him pumpkin."

*musical interlude... Me, standing in the front hallway, hands on hips, looking straight up in the air hiding an expression that closely resembles something that you would have before you behead a chicken, IF you were a farmer, and actually had to kill your own chicken before you cooked it.

"Whats your problem?" Asks Mom. "ME? Oh nothing. I can tell your education on MANNERS is going a long way with MY daughter."

Daughter giggles and walks into the living room, leaving a trail of a coat, shoes, backpack, and a bag of half eaten cinnamon rice cakes, on the floor.

Mother rolls her eyes and goes home. "Oh cool! a fire!", I hear eminate from the living room. "Dad, can I stay up a little bit? I want to watch the Phillies with you!"

Music to my ears. Really. This makes me super happy. One of my offspring, who happens to only be about 10, and has never really shown an interest in baseball, wants to watch the first game of the World Series with her father. Me. GOLD!

I'm sitting on the couch, and she is laying next to me, as I think to myself, "She is really digging this."

The game is about to start and she is really excited. They have introduced the players, and the first pitch is being served up. Like clock work, the boy wakes up and is jawing upstairs. "Daaaad! You gotta go get him." I tell her I will give her a hundred bucks to sort him out. "You know he just lost his binky." She looks at me like I'm a horrible parent. I tell her to give me a full report when I get back.

The boys issue is the fact that "spikes" is missing. A little stuffed dinosaur the size of a softball and its gone. 5 minutes to relocate in the folds of his toddler bed, and I'm headed back to the couch.

As I turn the corner, the baseball game is not on the TV. It's tuned into some animated trainwreck. She sees me and struggles to find the remote. "What the Hell C!?!". "It was a commercial Dad, I swear to god!"

I strangle the remote and almost crush the numbers as I pound in the channel. Utley is rounding the bases and the score shows 2-0. I look at her, and she is looking at me, with her shoulders shrugged and a look of innocence not seen since they accused OJ of butchering Nicole.

I stare at her longer and harder, reaching for my phone to text "BOOOOOOM" to Al, and she says, "Honestly Dad, I thought it was going to a commercial."

"Listen you, fibbing is not earning you points. We are watching the game, commercials and all. If you can't deal with that, go to bed now."

"Man dad, you really need to work on your manners."

"You know what... go to bed now. It's over."

"BUT, BUT, BUT, WHA???"

"Go"

"What a rip off. Grandmom was right about you." She jumps off the couch, and stomps up the stairs to her bedroom.

Grandmom gets a call this morning.

Rest in Peace

An employee lost his life last friday. Thought I would put up the obit in his memory. Jose was a rock solid dude. Many of you who read here knew him and can attest that he would have fit into this crowd of bloggers perfectly.

He will be missed.

Jose Juan Alvarado Jr., age 26, of Lower Providence Twp., passed away on Friday, Oct. 17, 2008 at his residence of natural causes.

Jose was born in Norristown, son of Jose Juan Alvarado Sr. and Beatrice (Douglass) Alvarado of Lower Providence Township. He was currently working both as a customer service representative for Whitpain Beverage of Blue Bell and part time running poker tournaments at local bars with Riverchasers Entertainment of Fairview Village.

Jose attended Eagleville Elementary School and Methacton High School graduating in the top 20 percent of his class. He also attended Montgomery County Community College and West Chester University, graduating with honors. At West Chester University, he wrote articles for the school paper known as The Quad.

Besides his parents, he is survived by three sisters: Tina Able, Fla.; Evelyn Douglass, Norristown and Tracee Garcia, Betzwood; a brother: Lynwood Rodgers, West Norriton.

Relatives and friends are invited to his viewing, Friday, Oct. 24 from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Raffeo-DiCecco Memorial Home, 707 West Germantown Pike (at Whitehall Rd), East Norriton. Followed by Prayer Service and Interment at Riverside Cemetery, West Norriton Twp.In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory, may be made to Jose Juan Alvarado Jr. Memorial Fund c/o Citizens Bank, 2668 Egypt Rd., 19B-6590; Norristown, PA 19403.

3 way post. funny, exciting, pissed!

Beautiful! Somehow I gather that these answers could be gotten amongst white voters in the midwest as well. Julius Goat... I'm looking your way!






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World Series start tomorrow night and the city and surrounding areas are going crazy. There is a pep rally scheduled in the city for tomorrow. Local Schools, both public and Private are having "Phillies Day", where the kids can wear Phillies apparel instead of the required uniforms.

Parties will be had, bars will have specials, etc. We don't get there often, but when we do, the area goes all out. Local businesses offer ridiculous deals, there are block parties, weekly events get cancelled. It really is a fun time to be in town.

Of course the chatter heats up in the media with assumptions that Burrell or Howard will be assigned to DH for the away games. If not who will be, who should pitch, critique of the starting rotation, critique of the other teams youth.

There are well wishers, haters, people high on the fact that we are there, and people who are on the verge of almost suicide knowing that they will blow it. Either way it will be a very entertaining World Series to watch. I look forward to the double digit run games, and each team runnig through their bull pens like diarreah.

After todays work load is accomplished, I will shut down and do nothing but focus on the Phils. Its going to be a great week!

________________________________

Now, let me ask your opinion....

My company was asked to help market a $20,000 free roll at the Borgata. It was a co-ed team tournament that was played as a freeze out. You just had to have a co-ed player with you. You weren't actually teammates. After the tournament, there was a FREE after party.

To become involved with this, you had to register, qualify, and then participate. UNLESS, you were a member of Riverchasers. All you had to do was send an email. We had put together 49 teams (98 players). There was a total of 340+ that played.

One guy (who entered through us), got into a spot where the dealer only dealt him one card. He showed the dealer one card (as if to say, "hey, I only have one card") , but she mucked him. Surely a mistake on the dealers part. But this guy then writes a letter to the Borgata asking for a "comp" room as compensation for the mistake on the part of the dealer which could have cost him "thousands" of dollars.

Remember that this is a free roll. With a free after party, hosted by DJ JazzyJeff at club MurMur.

I was contacted by the Director of Poker operations after he received the email from the player. I won't divuldge the contents of that email, but I wrote a reply on the Riverchasers forums about this incident. My stance is what the hell do you think you are ETITLED to??? How do you even have the gumption to ask for COMPENSATION???

It is very hard to get these type of events together. The sponsors and hosts spend a lot of money so that people will come and participate. Obviously it is a marketing ploy to just get people there and experience the Casino, the product, etc.

I am livid about this. How people think they are entitled to AYTHING from participating in a free roll. Even in events where you pay money to enter, you would get no recourse without understanding how the rules work. Apparently he did not speak up ENOUGH to remedy the situation, or did not understand the rules that once there is action in a hand, it cannot be called a misdeal.

His little email did not go over well at all and I'm not sure we will ever have the opportunity to do it at the Borg again. He also stated in his reply that the Borg emailed him and told him that he got a comped room. This is a lie. I have spoken to the powers that be and he did not get such an offer.

My staff works extremely hard to get these events to go, and one little selfish act can kill it for thousands. This bozo's stance was that he was a customer, and was treated unfairly. Unfairly!?!?!? CUSTOMER?!!???! You paid nothing! You were a guest, not a customer.

Jesus, I want to kick the shit out of someone right now.

When all else fails, pain motivates more than any other tactic

ne·go·ti·ate: verb, 1 a: to deal with (some matter or affair that requires ability for its successful handling) : manage b: to arrange for or bring about through conference, discussion, and compromise
2 a: to transfer (as a bill of exchange) to another by delivery or endorsement b: to convert into cash or the equivalent value
3 a: to successfully travel along or over


That word has more uses than most people realize. The most obvious deals with negotiations on a financial model. You negotiate your interest rates, your auto loans, your business deals.

You can also negotiate an obstacle course, or a road map while driving, or you can choose to negotiate a conversation with your spouse. As in, avoiding words that might prolong something that she sees extremely important, to something you see as trivial, or even as more of a NOOOOO-SANCE (sp?=inside joke).

But when trying to install new waste lines for a hall room bath, "negotiate" is not a word I would use.

"Negotiate" has little quips attached to it. Like, "no one likes to negotiate, or "the best negotiations end with no one winning", or some shit like that.

So, when I am "negotiating", I tend to set a limit or stopping point. Now, this isn't always measured in time, but after certain things have been tried, and we still don't have a deal, I usually go to plan B, which entails some sort of "force". If that is not an option, or advisable, and the situation allows, then I walk away to gather more info, and fight another day.

So, when a friend explained to me yesterday, that he was trying to "negotiate" the joist that was in the way to install a new waste line, and I was above him in the hallway bathroom trying to guide the down pipe, all while losing my mind, I decided that force was in the cards. "NEGOTIATE?!?!?!, are you fucking kidding me?!?", was my reply. We all have our boiling points. The use of that word was it for me.

Obviously the "joist" was looking for a better deal. Obviously it thought that at this point (which was 4 days into a hall bath redo), it could hold out for better terms. I on the other hand had enough. There was no way an inanimate object was going to outplay me. Nor was it going to "have me by the balls", as this friend had stated over and over.

So I said, "hang on, Mother Fucker!!", and got up from my prone position, picked up the saw-zaw, ran, no, jumped down the flight of stairs into the basement, and headed right for the laundry room where my "friend" was on the ladder.

He looked at me with horror as I wielded the power tool flailing above my head with bright orange eyes (his words) and crazy hair, ripping the dryer out of the way so I could reach the outlet to provide power to my implement of destruction, and shoved him off the ladder. I made rather quick arragements to add support to the floor for the action I was about to take. I took that saw zaw and relocated about 3ft of that 12'' joist all the while my friend trying to calmly tell me that he didn't think this was necessary.

"Isn't that joist there for a reason?" asked the friend. "Of course it is you dope. But I will not stand by and waste another fucking minute to come to a conclusion that will ultimately end with this course of action anyway. This is how I negotiate." See, action is always better than presumption. Right or wrong, it's always better. The new section of pipe was istalled, a new joist was put in place and the temporary supports were taken down. I am happy to say that the bathroom redo is complete. Fuckers.

Al sent me a text last night about around 11pm asking if I was alive. I think I replied "fuck you" or something of that nature. I was salty and about an hour away from completion. I use this public forum to acknowledge my transgressions and apologize to the Reverend. Although I have the feeling that he was laughing and toasting with the locals at the pub after that little dialogue via text. He loves to see me all jammed up. Not in a bad way, but in the sense that it provides him massive amounts of entertainment. So in that regard, I'm glad I can be of service.


I have lost track of a lot this week. I have gotten behind in a lot of projects because of this one. Projects that pay me as opposed to ones I pay for. I don't know why I don't pay people to do these things. First thoughts are because I get so much "enjoyment" out of doing it myself. But the aggravation is becoming -EV.

At least now I can start writing about the Phils, the Eagles, Poker, Politics, and other stuff I actually enjoy. For now, its time to clean up. Maybe I'll take some pictures of the new bathroom and post them here. That will have to wait for the wife to do her part and purchase artwork that "matches" the new color.

Here is wishing everyone a calm and relaxing weekend. I plan to spend it on the new toilet.

Whoever stops fighting first always loses.

I haven't been online since friday for one reason. A clogged toilet. Isn't that peachy.

So how does a clogged toilet go from an easy snaking to a complete and total renovation of a hallway potty?

Let a 2 year old get a hold of it. That's right. A two year old. Somehow he found a bag of those plastic easter eggs that you put money and candy into at Easter time for the kiddies.

He thought playing basketball in the toilet was a good idea. Only he picked the one that still had money in it. This was enough to allow it to sink through the drain enough to get passed the first bend in the trap, but also lodge permanently.

So when the 6 year old went in to do her business, there was no sign of any obstruction. Not that it would stop her if she could see anything, but I digress.

So snaking doesn't work. I get confirmation from the two year old of what he threw down there, by going to his now hidden stash of easter eggs, and showing me.

So snaking isn't working and a plumber will cost me $300 bucks to undo the blockage. I can buy a new toilet for less than $200 and install it myself. Something I have done before. So there's the plan of action. New toilet, done and done. It's a 3 hour job tops.

The first issue is emptying the toilet. So I buy a wet vac with the total assumption of it being disposable. After sucking up what was in the bowl (what comes out of a 6 year old is completely mind boggling), there was no way I was going to be reusing that thing. So the night before I pour a little bleach into the bowl so it doesn't stink up the joint. Which works like a charm btw...

Saturday morning I go to the local home store and purchase a brand new toilet, shop vac, and all the incidentals that I believe I am going to need.

Skip to the extraction of the toilet...

Toilet is drained, and the tank is off. As I undo the bolts to the bowl on the floor, I notice problem number one. the idiot who installed THIS toilet (previous home owner), never put the flooring completely around the drain pipe. He sort of cut around the bowl. This is a no-no. There were some uncovered parts of subfloor because of this and he had caulked around the bowl to compensate. The issue here is that the floor is hardwood, and the caulk seeped under alot of the adjacent boards.

So when I tried to pull the bowl off of the floor, the caulking he had used was stuck to the surrounding floor boards acting like glue, ripping them up with the bowl. I cut around the caulk and disposed of the bowl.

Issue number two becomes evident when I place the new bowl on the floor. The profile is much smaller than the previous one leaving about 6 inches of subfloor exposed. Now I need to find replacement flooring, and try to cut it in to the old floor.

Back to the home store and of course, because I run so good, they don't have it. Not even anything close. I make the decision right there to redo the whole floor.

The bathroom is 28sqft. in total so it shouldn't be that hard of a a job, nor that exspensive. I purchase some nice cherry hardwood flooring that was on sale and head back home. As I pull up the old floor I notice that the subfloor is shot around the toilet. That has to come up as well. Then the wife says, since we are doing all of this, why don't we paint as well, since, you know, everything is exposed.

Fast forward to today. Sunday was spent at my parents for birthdays and anniversary's so that was a lost work day. A full day of work on Saturday, and yesterday and I have the new subfloor installed, a new drain pipe, the walls all spackled sanded and primed. I am waiting for the primer to dry right now. Once that is dry, I can paint the new color the wife picked (coral peach), and install the new toilet. Everything should be done by 5pm if I allow 2 hours of dry time on the new paint.

I was so looking forward to posting about the phils, and the eagles (The NFC East to be more specific), and some poker stuff, but I guess that will all wait. I did make it to the Phils game last night towards the 5th inning. Spectacular game no matter how it finished. The Dodgers are really putting themselves out there, and this has proven to be a worthy series to watch even if you don't like baseball.

Everyteam in the NFC lost this weekend. With the exception of the Eagles, which puts them right back in the race. I'll have more on that and the implications later.

For now, I'm back to being Riggs the builder...

Friggin' Waffles

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I have nipples Gregg, can you milk me?

Spent the day in New York City yesterday at the Madarin Oriental near Columbus circle for a meeting with the hotel and the folks at Childrens Hospital. We are holding a Charity event for them there on Nov. 12th and had to scope out the room and discuss other particulars.

I love the city. I often wonder what would have came of me accepting any of the offers I had early in my career to work and live there. With the family starting out, it was almost impossible to do so at the time, but still, I wonder.

New York is truely a unique place. There is nothing comparable. I can't imagine anyone not having been there before, and it is definately a place that someone who has never seen a city before can be overwhelmed by.

For some reason, the place wreaks of distrust. The people, places, the architecture. But as you persuse around, and talk to people and experience the life, it gets a little intoxicating. What a town.


The Phils start their NLCS tonight, and I'm hoping to be treated to 5 games of pure baseball bliss. I say 5 because thats the standard number of games that everyone thinks their team will win in a 7 game playoff. Why buck the trend now?

What I want to point out however, is the assumption that Phils fans are worst fans in the world. Here is why we get that distinction from outsiders.

I just made the statement that the Phils will win in 5 games. Gung ho, bring it on, lock it up. IF they lose game 1, you will see from the media, HALF of the city/ fans proclaiming that they blew it, and that we are doomed to failure.

Thats not just bad phillies fans. Thats the whole northeastern part of the country. That is the breed of this area. Everyone is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I hear it from Mets fans, Celtics fans, Devils fans, etc... The Philly media just does a better job of pimping that attitude.

Once you get passed the longitudinal line that runs somewhere near Harrisburg, that attitude dissipates. It's another reason why the people from this part of the country are go go go all the time. We know we have to get it done before something bad happens. We play beat the clock. It is inherited.

Now, I'm not saying that there aren't people like that all over the country. There are. They are called transplants. But this is the overall attitude and way of life, if you will, of the folks that have been born to this part of the country. And it seeps into their casual lives, such as team affiliation and so on.

It's not a bad way. That's not my point. It certainly is not a curse, although it has been called that at times. It's just a different way of living. Just like people who live in the midwest are way laid back. Thats not to say they are less productive, they just do things differently and value time and other things differently.

I got a phone call from a friend just now. I answered, and he says, "The fucking phillies better win tonight!". I know what he means. The average guy puts a lot on the line every season. Time, money, emotion. They feel invested. If they lose, it's all for naught. But they will come back every year to do the same thing.

Me personally, I'm looking forward more to the baseball than the wins. The wins would be nice, but the baseball will always take precedent for me. I will celebrate just as hard as the next guy if they do win, and I will take pride in being a fan if they do, as well as if they don't.

But as long as the games are entertaining, the baseball is skillful, and the players leave nothing on the field, I will be content as a rock star, sitting at the bar, with his name placarded on the back of his seat, with a redbull, SOCO, and water back.

Friday Night Lights

Friday at the Bash was reserved for the Poker Tourney to help raise funds for Boobs.


I headed over to the Pub late because I had some field hockey duties to attend to. I was ride dad. I had my daughter and three other girls in the truck taking them from the school to the field. That converstation alone could fill a post, but I will save that for another day. Some of the topics that were covered... (10 year old girls mind you) Politics, boys, Honors Math. The boys part took about 13 seconds before I shut it down, the words "dumb math" was uttered to describe other students, and apparetly, 10 year old girls vote for McCain, and no one else, because Obama is "Stupid". Yay Parents!

Anywho... I head over to the pub to act as yet another shuttle and bring people to the location where we would be holding the torn-a-mint. Apparently I have an accent.

7 people piled into the beast and we headed over. I got to meet everyone who I hadn't yet, and we sat down and started to play. Our table, Falstaff, Al, CK, Drizz, to name a few was definately the table to be at. I think we had the most re-buys of any table as Al shoved blind the first 3 hands.

I know I had rebought at least 5 times, probably more. Of course they were double rebuys, so it was a whole lot more when multiplied by two. I had the hammer dropped on me by CK, and I fluctuated between super aggro and super tight. When the rebuy period was over I shoved on a raise and a call with 66 as shorty. The raiser folded and the caller called. With JJ. After tanking.

I took the canadien boys over to the sign in table and (re)taught them Skat and Heart Hand Diamond. That was fun for a bit, then we all got jammed up with the time.

We all ended up at the Diner with the Rooster in tow. I explained to everyone that they needed to try scrapple. Rooster said he knew what it was and ordered it. The only one to do so. I didn't, and that jammed him up a bit. I only ordered a blt, and scrapple doesn't go well. Plus the waitress informed us that she had "bleached" her hand. There was a make shift bandage around a wound she had on her hand, and when I said, "no worries", and rolled my eyes, she replied.. "well you ever know with diseases that go around today". The Rooster hit on her after that.

We finished up and headed back to the hotel. I dropped everyone off and headed back to the house. Alone. I was sad. and fell asleep about 4 times on the way back.

I got home between 5:30 - 6:00am and stayed up because the boy was awake when I got there. We took an impromptu nap at noon, and I didn't wake up until after 2. I knew I was going to be late to the pub to ready for the "bash" part of the bash, and was resided in the fact that I got some sleep, that would probably be the last until the next day. I was bummed about missing the Pub Olympics, but also knew that Team Al would be in fine shape. Even without my Big Buck Hunter prowess.

Everyone was there and ready for what was about to become an historic night....

Memories of the Bash

I am soooo jammed up with stuff, and no real time to post. But I heard this song and had to put it up. It will definately be the defining song of the Bash... for me at least.

Two more stories coming soon!

Sorry CK (Final countdown is reserved for Eh Vegas)

The Controversial Survey

Waffles put up a Meme and I told him I would answer as well....

1. Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey?

obviously

2. Would you do meth if it was legal?

I won't do prescription drugs and they are legal

3. Abortion: for or against it?

I'm certainly not for it. But I don't believe its anyone else's business to intervien with another persons moral decisions. On the legal aspect of it, I am for it.

4. Do you think the world would fail with a female president?

No. That chic from Germany seems to be doing ok

5. Do you believe in the death penalty?

Absolutely. Only I would grant a pass to the persons who were affected most to hunt the offender down and do as they wish. Total anarchy is my credo

6. Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

Let me be clear in stating that I don't use it. But I do think it should be legal. It's retarded that it's not.

7. Are you for or against premarital sex?

I have 3 daughters, so I am against it. But what does that mean anyway? Have at it people.

8. Do you believe in God?

I can say that I believe that there is a God. But I can't say that I believe in a God as portrayed by mainstream religions. I don't belive in creationism. I belive in evolution. I also believe however that there has to be one thing, or God that oversees what the hell is going on. If God does exist, he/she/it is there for one thing. And that is to provide purpose to all of ths madness.

9. Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?

Absolutely. There is no reason to tell someone that they're ot recognized by the laws of the land they live in because of a few nits.

10. Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?

Illegally yes. But there needs to be something done about the reasons why they feel the need to come to te US in the numbers that they do.

11. A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?

How do you tell anyone that they are not allowed to keep a child that came out of their ow hoo hoo, after carrying it for nine months, regardless of age?


12. Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?

There should be no legal age for kids to drink. There should be legal ages where kids can go and drink. They shouldn't be allowed in pubs before 18. But there should be no legal restriction on alcohol. Kids drink early anyway, and do it secretively because they know its illegal. That fact alone makes it cool to do so. It's not about getting high, or liking the actual taste. Its about showing off or being part of the crowd, breaking the law, etc.


13. Should the war in Iraq be called off?

Called off? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. The perception that the only reason we are there, or went there, is because of WMD's is the most naive and retarded thing I ever heard of. And makes me want to kick the shit out of someone. No, it shouldn't be called off. It should be finished.

14. Should assisted suicide be legal?

Again, personal moral desires should not be fucked with by any legal system. I'll never understand the people that scream for abortion rights and then get all jammed up over this one. You want to die? Have at it.

15. Do you believe in spanking your children?

I believe in discipline. The way that works for each individual child needs to be figured out. I won't judge another parent for spanking their children.


16. Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?

Yet again, another retarded question. I would burn my house down for a million dollars. Assuming the house and all of its contents are worth considerably less. But if you are asking me if I am patriotic, I will tell you this... If I were to see some hippie dancing on an American Flag, or burning it in protest that is advertised via their words, or posters, or whatever, well, lets just say you don't want o be that guy. If you tell me I can't have it both ways, and that burning the flag would have to be combined with a formal denouncement of the country and its values that it was built on, and the men and women who fight to defend those values, then no. I wouldn't take the million. But I'd choke you out to make up for the tease.


17. Who do you think would make a better president? McCain or Obama?

Unfortunately this year, I don't think either of the cadidates will be capable of being presidential. Officially, I am on the fence. Each day I sway more to either side. I like politics, but I hate the deception. I am a republican, but have voted democrat. I post things on this sight that show that I may be a bit partisan to the Republican party. But I honestly have not made up my mind yet.

18. Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

I'm not afraid of being judged. We are all judged day in and day out. I have enough friends that take me as I am, and Family that do the same, day in and out. They all know where I stand. Probably why the friends are still friends.